Italian museum gives tourism a sweet scent

3,500 roses create 'romance in everyone', says owner

(ANSA) - Modena, May 16 - For centuries roses have been
synonymous with romance and have captivated poets from Yeats to
Goethe. The Victorian writer George Eliot once wished for the
sky to 'rain down' their soft petals.

Now a little-known Italian museum near the northern city of
Modena is inviting those with a passion for the popular flower
to come and see 750 different varieties.

The museum was created by designer Roberto Viti and his son
Riccardo who were looking to escape the noise and pollution of
city life in nearby Modena and live in the country.

"We decided to buy a place for a change of life," Riccardo
Viti told ANSA. "We already had a passion for garden and plants
but this is a totally different thing. We left a garden of 500
sq metres and created 43 hectares."
There are 3,500 flowers on display at the Museo Giardino
della Rosa Antica (Garden Museum of the Ancient Rose) many of
them emitting their legendary perfume.

Viti said he had grown to appreciate the flowers so much he
could not decide which was his favourite variety.

"It is difficult. It is like having two or three children
and having to decide which one is your favourite," he said with
a laugh. "It depends on my mood".

And is there an element of romance in his work?
"Of course! Working with roses brings out the romance in
everyone"!
Every year the museum attracts around 500,000 visitors,
around a quarter of the estimated two million people who choose
various types of gardens and botanical visits as a holiday
destination in Italy.

The museum is located in rolling hills in Serramazzoni, 25
km from Modena, and is open from the beginning of April to the
end of October
The Vitis have transformed the site since they took over an
abandoned valley and artificial lake in 1995.

They left the site untouched for seven years before planting
their garden with traditional varieties of roses as well as
20,000 other plants.

"For 15 years we have been using natural methods to manage
the garden, without any chemical substances, to create a habitat
presupposed by the real biodiversity of the place," Viti said.

This rare museum also runs creative cooking classes for
foodlovers with advice on which types are best suited for
cooking from the Cardinal de Richelieu to the Marie de Blois.

Many recipes date back centuries and include pastas with
rose-flavoured sauces, risotto using the classic York and
Lancaster rose, rose-flavoured chicken and salmon, and rose
icecream.
"Ancient civilisations like the Romans and the Egyptians
used roses in their cooking and in their oils and creams," said
Viti. "These recipes are very old but they are now in fashion".
The museum also runs botany lessons and conferences for
enthusiasts.

On May 21 it will feature one of Italy's best-known
botanists and gardeners, Libereso Guglielmi, at a special event
and guests will be invited to sample rose tea and a dinner
infused with rose flavours.

The museum has become a popular point of reference for
botanists and rose lovers from Italy as well as the United
Kingdom, Europe, Taiwan and Israel.